Liverpool right-wing back wonderkid Conor Bradley expected to return from injury before the end of the season..

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill told the Belfast Telegraph on Tuesday that he felt bad for the country's international right-wing back, Liverpool wonderkid Conor Bradley, who is expected to return from injury before the end of the season.

O'Neill mentioned Bradley in an exclusive interview with the newspaper as the Northern Ireland national team prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in United States, Canada and Mexico European qualifiers this weekend.

O'Neill said in the interview that although Bradley will be frustrated, he firmly believes that the player will work hard on his recovery because of his desire to help the club again and will be hoping to return in the best condition.

O'Neill said: "He is very frustrated, but I think his initial frustration should have eased a bit. With so many games to play before the end of the season, I firmly believe that he must now just want to focus on getting back in the best condition as soon as possible before the end of the season."

"Liverpool has a difficult schedule in the Premier League next, and I think there is no player in their team who is not eager to participate in it and contribute to the team. So, I think at this moment he should focus on getting back fit as soon as possible, and from what I know about Conor, he is definitely a very dedicated boy in this regard. He must do his best to follow the instructions of Liverpool's team doctors and make himself recover as soon as possible."

"Sometimes, when your team is missing a player with great abilities like Conor, it is always very difficult, because of course you want to have moments in the game to show this ability."

"We all know that Conor is a player who will give his best at all times. We have had private conversations about this. I think he probably needs to learn to protect himself better in games.

“If you look at the game against Real Madrid, I think his injury was aggravated in the last 10 minutes or so of the game, and it ultimately cost him a lot because he obviously played very well in that game, but unfortunately he didn't have the chance to continue that performance in the next game because of the injury.

“You have to experience it to experience how intense the rythym of the Premier League is and how difficult it is to face such a high-pressure game environment all the time, but Conor will be fine. He will still be eager for the moment when he can play again at his best. I hope he can finish the season in the best condition and play for us again in June.

Bradley was praised for assisting and tightly marking Kylian Mbappé in the Reds' 2-0 victory in the UEFA Champions League against Real Madrid in November, but he was injured towards the end of the game.

After that, he played as a substitute in the match against Aston Villa in February, but he had to be sidelined again due to a muscle injury which he suffered in the match.

Since then, Bradley has been ruled out for at least 6 weeks. During this spell, the team's main right-wing back Trent Alexander-Arnold was also injured in the match against Paris Saint-Germain last week. Therefore, the Reds is currently facing the dilemma of having all their right-wing backs being injured and Jarell Quansah can only be temporarily asked to play in this position.

About Conor Bradley

Connor Bradley, 21, was born on July 9, 2003 in Castlederg, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. He is 1.80 meters tall and primarily plays as a right-wing back and can play as a right midfielder.

Bradley played for the youth academies of St. Patrick's and Dungannon Swift's when he was a child. In 2019, he joined Liverpool's famous Kirkby youth academy and completed his Liverpool first-team debut in an Carabao Cup match in September 2021. He is the second Northern Irish player in the Reds' history.

In the summer of 2022, Bradley was loaned-out to Bolton Wanderers, during which he won the EFL Trophy with the club.

After returning to the club following the end of his loan spell in January 2024, Bradley officially became one of the main players in Liverpool's first-team.

Since his debut, Bradley has played 50 times for the Premier League leaders in all competitions, scoring 1 goal, assisting 9 times, and winning the Carabao Cup once with the club.